How did Cook win 'Idol' contest?

May 22, 2008

Written by

By Derrik J. Lang

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- David Cook's transformation from soul-patched slacker to "American Idol" is complete, and his overwhelming victory probably says as much about his soulful gaze and in-season makeover as it does about his chops as a rocker.

Or maybe it says even more about who's voting these days.

Other than his hair, not much about the 25-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo., changed since his performance of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do" during the Hollywood round. Back then, he was a promising "Idol" hopeful, but he didn't have the instant juggernaut feel of 17-year-old crooner David Archuleta.

From the outset, the ex-bartender provided soaring vocals and just enough outside-the-box behavior to keep viewers cooking up votes for Cook every week. Neither Cook nor Archuleta was ever a low vote-getter.

But it was Archuleta who always received the most praise right up until Tuesday's final performance, in which judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta had scored a "knockout" over Cook, who sang Collective Soul's "The World I Know," U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Dream Big."

Or maybe being rebellious turned out to be worth the gamble for Cook; it's been suggested that a poor showing with the judges can drum up support from indignant or sympathetic voters.

Criticism may have made Cook's win sweeter for some, but don't call it an upset. Several online outfits predicted he would take home the top prize: a record contract and an SUV. DialIdol.com, which tracks busy signals on the separate phone lines dedicated to each contestant, correctly projected him the winner Wednesday morning.

So why did the older David best the younger one -- the one who couldn't take a step on the "Idol" stage without a collective shriek coming up from every tween girl in the audience?

One reason for Cook's appeal may be found in a rustling in the show's recent ratings: Viewership for teenagers 12 to 17 for "Idol" was down this season, and the median age of an "Idol" viewer, once in the mid-30s, is now up to 42, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Cook was, after all, the first "rocker" of many to take the crown from a steady stream of pop- and R&B-type singers. Perhaps an older contingent helped push Cook over -- way over -- the edge. The upper age limit was raised from 24 to 28 in season four; could another increase be on the way?

Another reason could be that Cook was so genuinely humble throughout the competition, even until the very end. On Wednesday, he told reporters it was an honor to share the stage with the teenage singer from Murray, Utah. Cook said Archuleta had more talent at 17 "than I know what to do with at 25."

Whatever the reasons were this year, in a competition that can crown a 29-year-old gray-haired Southerner one year and a cheery 17-year-old high school student from Arizona the next, it's impossible to tell why America choose its "Idol" the way it does.

AP television writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.